Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SONGS OF SOULS THAT FAILED, by MARION COUTHOUY SMITH


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SONGS OF SOULS THAT FAILED, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: We come from the war-swept valleys
Last Line: To cover our grief and rest.
Subject(s): Cowardice; Fights; Riots; War; Weariness; Fatigue


WE come from the war-swept valleys,
Where the strong ranks clash in might,
Where the broken rear guard rallies
For its last and losing fight,
From the roaring streets and highways,
Where the mad crowds move abreast.
We come to the wooded byways,
To cover our grief, and rest.

Not ours the ban of the coward,
Not ours is the idler's shame;
If we sink at last, o'erpowered,
Will ye whelm us with scorn or blame?
We have seen the goal and have striven
As they strive who win or die;
We were burdened and harshly driven,
And the swift feet passed us by.

When we hear the plaudits' thunder,
And thrill to the victor's shout,
We envy them not, nor wonder
At the fate that cast us out;
For we heed one music only,
The sweet far voice that calls
To the dauntless soul and lonely
Who fights to the end and falls.

We come — outworn and weary —
The unmanned hosts of life;
Long was our march and dreary,
Fruitless and long our strife,
Out from the dust and the riot —
From the lost, yet glorious quest,
We come to the vales of quiet,
To cover our grief and rest.





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